GUNSMOKE

First Show: Jun 26, 1952
Last Show: Jun 18, 1961
Number Shows: 480 shows, 2 auditions, 5 hour tribute
Audition Shows: Jun 11, 1949, Jul 13, 1949

Series Description:

Gunsmoke is one of those long-running classic Old-Time Radio shows that everyone knows and remembers. It's also one that is still respected for its high values, in all aspects. Gunsmoke first aired on the CBS network on April 26, 1952, billed as the first adult western. It was set in Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870's.

The main character, Matt Dillon, was played by William Conrad. On August 6, 1951, William Conrad played the lead in a show entitled "Pagosa" in the series Romance, where he played the part of a reluctant sheriff in a tough Western town. Although not a true audition, Conrad's character role is very close the that of Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. It was one of the "stepping stones" toward the production of Gunsmoke.

Other regular characters were Chester Proudfoot, played by Parley Baer; Kitty, played by Georgia Ellis; and Doc Adams, played by Howard McNear.

The series featured top-notch acting and well-developed scripts that set it apart from many other shows, not only Westerns; however, it was the sound effects that stood out the most. Listen carefully and one can hear many levels of sound that really helps transport the listener back to the old west.

Besides the US version, there was an Austrailian production of Gunsmoke. It began sometime in 1955, transcribed under the Artransa label, and aired Mondays at 7:00 PM on the Macquarie network. It is not known how many shows aired or how long the series ran.


From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

This audio is part of the collection: Old Time Radio
It also belongs to collection: Radio Programs

Artist/Composer: Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Keywords: OTRR; Old Time Radio Researchers Group; Old Time Radio; OTRR Single Episodes; Gunsmoke; OTRR - 2006-12

Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs

Notes

OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHER'S GROUP

This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website and the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.

If you are interested in preserving old time radio, you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Yahoo.


This is the Single Episode Page. The Certified Set includes extras not found here. It is located at OTRR Certified Set. This page is provided in case you want to sample the shows.

Note that in many cases, file names have been modified from the original OTRR names to conform to archive.org naming requirements.


Relax, listen, and enjoy!

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OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that is Certified Accurate indicates that all the episodes are properly identified and labeled but that the series does not contain all known extant episodes.

OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that is Certified Complete is the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implies that all the files in the series are Certified Accurate but also indicates that the series is as complete as possible – it includes all extant episodes.

Individual Files

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Reviewer: JoplinJerry - - April 19, 2013
Subject: So Good to Sleep With
As a person who has sleep disorders listening to Gunsmoke and other old radio shows on helps me to eventually get some sleep. The characters in Gunsmoke were so great and the background sounds made the shows seem more realistic. The writing was tremendous then and held the listener's attention as listened to the radio of the mind.

Reviewer: Charlie Heinz - - March 17, 2013
Subject: Gunsmoke Follows Same Pattern
Gunsmoke was a great radio show and later a poorly made TV show. However the radio shows followed an annoying repetition of characterization. You can predict how the bad guys are going to act, and they all act like morons. Can always spot John Dehner with his "I never done that mar-shul" type moron character. Of course, the west never was like this anyway. Best I can say about these Gunsmoke shows is that the audio levels are quite consistent from show to show.

Reviewer: powers74 - - November 18, 2012
Subject: Best ever!!!
After getting my first taste of OTR After buying a iPhone I have to say nothing eats up my data more (-: I have my iPhone memory full of my favorite episodes of gunsmoke dragnet and X MINUS ONE, and only wish I could hold them all ... Thank you audio.org and Internet archive for bringing this back forever I hope people donate often to keep your bills paid (-:

And BTY KITTY ISN'T A PROSTITUTE AS SUGGESTED SHE WAS OWNER OF THE LOCAL SALOON AND PERHAPS A MADAM BUT ALL THE SAME WE LOVED HER ANYWAY

Reviewer: Capt. Lee Quince - - June 23, 2012
Subject: excellent
This is classic otr...Bill Conrad is a great Matt Dillon and a wonderful contribution to all other otr programs. Alas, all good things come to a end...having finished the series without more to come I feel as if I lost a very good friend.
-peace, capt.Q

Thanks contribuber and archieves

Reviewer: Max Reiner - - June 23, 2012
Subject: Yiddish Episode Titles
Got a h00t out of "meshugah" and "gonif" as titles for a two Gunsmoke episodes. Were those the producer shortcut names of the shows or did the Archive cataloger add some old country descriptions? HA! There are spelling variations of those low German terms. Meshugah or meshuggah means crazy. And a gonif is a bad guy.

We have fun with names, too. In one of our old west movies, we made up a "Meshunggeneh Falls" sign over a hazardous waterfall because you'd be crazy to try to ride the waters. :)

Reviewer: Matt Dillion - - December 16, 2011
Subject: William Conrad's contribution
After listening to the radio series, it is hard to imagine how avid listeners in that era, could have made the transition between William Conrad and James Arness. William Conrad's had contributed so much to the fictional character Matt Dillion, that it would be almost next to impossible to make the transition without missing the baritone husky voice that made him a legion.

Reviewer: CalvinMoore - - September 6, 2011
Subject: My Favorite Episode
I've listened to nearly the entire series and some of the episodes many times. The one that always touches me the most is The Round-Up. The raw emotion displayed by William Conrad coupled with the bittersweet ending makes this my hands down all-time favorite. A very close second would be Bloody Hands (Alafrganza).

Reviewer: babygirlsshy - - February 14, 2011
Subject: Great Series!!
Have been a fan of OTR for a while but never got around to listening to the Western style shows until last year .... fell totally in love with "Have Gun Will Travel" and wanting to hear more of John Dehner, I moved on to the Gunsmoke series and boy am I glad I did!

Took a little bit to appreciate the character of Matt Dillion but he grew on me. To truly appreciate the series, all the shows should be listened to and not necessarily in order. Multiple listenings will give you an appreciation of the chemistry between the main characters and repeat supporting characters, old west phrases & terminology, social & cultural differences and a peak at the hardships of frontiersmen & women.

Great series would highly recommend.

Reviewer: Dungarees2 - - November 27, 2010
Subject: If I was going to listen to one episode...
First, for those that aren't already fans of the series or familiar with the characters:

William Conrad was one of the last actors who auditioned for the role of Marshal Dillon. He had a powerful, distinctive voice and was one of radio's busiest actors (he is believed to have appeared in more old time radio episodes than any other performer). After the series was created, writer John Mesten wanted him for the role of Matt Dillon, but director Norman MacDonnell thought Conrad might be overexposed because of being heard so frequently on other shows. During his audition, however, Conrad won over MacDonnell after reading only a few lines. Dillon as portrayed by Conrad was a lonely, isolated man, toughened by a hard life. Meston relished the upending of cherished Western fiction clichés and felt that few Westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was in reality. In Meston's view, "Dillon was almost as scarred as the homicidal psychopaths who drifted into Dodge from all directions."

Chester's character had no surname until Parley Baer ad libbed "Proudfoot" during an early rehearsal. The character was usually described as Dillon's "assistant," but the December 13, 1952 episode "Post Martin," Dillon described Chester as Dillon's deputy. (The TV series changed Chester's last name to Goode.)

Doc Adams was iconoclastic and grumpy, but McNear's performances became more warm-hearted. In the January 31, 1953 episode "Cavalcade," Doc Adams' backstory is revealed: His real name is Calvin Moore, educated in Boston, and he practiced as a doctor for a year in Richmond, Virginia where he fell in love with a beautiful young woman who was also being courted by a wealthy young man named Roger Beauregard. Beauregard forced Doc into fighting a duel with him, resulting in Beauregard's being shot and killed. Even though it was a fair duel, because Doc was a Yankee and an outsider he was forced to flee. The young woman fled after him and they were married in St. Louis, but two months later she died of typhus. Doc wandered throughout the territories until he settled in Dodge City seventeen years later under the name of "Charles Adams."

Georgia Ellis appeared in the first episode "Billy the Kid" (April 26, 1952) as "Francie Richards," a former girlfriend of Matt Dillon and the widow of a criminal. "Miss Kitty" did not appear on the radio series until the May 10, 1952 episode "Jaliscoe." Kitty's profession was hinted at, but never explicit; in a 1953 interview with Time, MacDonnell declared, "Kitty is just someone Matt has to visit every once in a while. We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, plain and simple." (The television show portrayed Kitty as a saloon proprietor, not a prostitute.)

While there are numerous excellent episodes to listen to, one that's not a great one in my view, but completely different, and excellent in its own way, is Cavalcade (described above). If I was going to listen to one episode a second or third time, or would recommend an episode to a fan who hadn't listened to many episodes, I'd probably suggest Cavalcade.

dungarees2@gmail.com

Reviewer: Neosocratism - - November 25, 2010
Subject: Thank you
I couldn't possibly thank you enough... I used to listen to these in a special show every Sunday night in the Washington DC area. I moved away some time ago and I've always wanted to listen to these again... awesome collection, including my favorite episode of all time.

Reviewer: XMinusOne - - November 18, 2010
Subject: The top tier of Old time Radio
mikefromgeorgia (below) is correct that it's a tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke (although you could consider other shows, such as Jack Benny, Amos 'n' Andy, Lights Out, X Minus One, and others, Dragnet and Gunsmoke were 'reality'); their longevity alone speaks for their quality. They simply wouldn't have lasted as long as they did, nor sustain their large audiences, were the writing and the acting not excellent. What both had, of course, was continuity; the main character was created, developed, and had excellent supporting characters who also were developed.

What both shows had, of course, were premier leading actors. All of Jack Webb's shows before Dragnet were of high quality and seem to lead to his role Joe Friday; Bill Conrad estimated that he was in 7,000 roles in radio, as either a leading or supporting actor.

One can't go wrong with listening to either collection, Dragnet or Gunsmoke. Both will make you appreciate the magic of old time radio, which provided something that neither television show could; the use of your imagination, enabling you to see "what really happened to Joe Friday and Matt Dillon".

Reviewer: ADancer43 - - July 1, 2010
Subject: Gun Smoke
The series is iconic in radio! I've listened to radio for almost 70 years and "Gun Smoke" does all that good radio drama should, truly 'theater of the mind.' "The Medicine Man" show needs some enhancement, not real steady. If you haven't heard "Frontier Gentleman" go there too, it is 'neck and neck' with "Gun Smoke" as is "The Six Shooter."

Reviewer: AcworthAL - - May 24, 2010
Subject: Gunsmoke the King OTR
Dragnet is great, but Gunsmoke is the best radio program of all time. I'm not a hugh fan of western themed radio (except Six Shooter which is pretty good too!)TV or Movies but Gunsmoke was so real and smart. I've often finsihed listening to a pretty raw, real episode come acrossed amazed that they did this program in the 50's. One episode a man cuts the tongue out of a young Indians mouth and his racist remark was so difficult, but Matt Dillion was the voice of reason and justice prevailed. I could name dozens of outstanding episodes but If you interested at all, do yourself the favor and download all of them. These shows have given me hours and hours of listening pleasure. Then give Dragnet, Jack Benny Program, Our Miss Brooks, Great Gildersleeve,Yours truly Johnny Dollar and Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show a try these are favorites.

Reviewer: Rayme - - January 20, 2010
Subject: Long live marshall dillon
I am a big fan of this show. I recently found it online with all the episodes listed here and have them all in my ipod. Now I cannot go to sleep without having it playing in my ear. I can honestly see the town in my mind as the episodes play. The funny thing is that I can't really get into the tv show, but I love the otr broadcasts. You can almost smell the gunsmoke when marshall dillon puts one of the bad guys down. I recommend this show to anyone who has never enjoyed the theater of the mind.

Reviewer: otrwash - - November 2, 2009
Subject: Gunsmoke: Missing Episodes
Of the 480 broadcast episodes of GUNSMOKE only six are missing, including five of the first ten episodes broadcast in 1952.

A few years ago I found the scripts for the first year of Gunsmoke. From those scripts, I have written detailed plot lines summaries for the five missing 1952 episodes.
You will find them at:
http://forums.oldradio.net/forum13.html&sid=b417fd58f9ed1af657fba339154cb670

Look for the threads starting with
Plotline For Missing Episode:

Reviewer: d-boy - - June 26, 2009
Subject: Tied for First
I am indeed listening to every single episode of Gunsmoke, but I would suggest two other OTR shows which I consider tied with Gunsmoke for first place. The first is Night Beat, with Frank Lovejoy, and the other is Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar........very specifically a particular period of Johnny Dollar shows: the five part, weeklong, 15 minute installment shows from the mid fifties with Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar.

Reviewer: mikefromgeorgia - - May 21, 2007
Subject: Gunsmoke is the greatest radio show of all time
It is a very tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke, but I guess the incredible sound effects and the high quality writing, along with the talented cast of regular and guest supporting actors give Gunsmoke a decided edge in my own humble opinion. William Conrad had such a wonderful voice for radio and he also was a better actor in every respect than James Arness. Conrad's only drawbacks to playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke were his height and especially weight. Many people probably don't even know that he was a fighter pilot in World War II. He made the role of Matt Dillon his own on radio and I don't think Arness could ever have held a candle to him. I have watched the t.v. series many times for years before ever hearing the radio version and I definitely think the radio version is far superior in every respect. On t.v. both Dillon and the other regular characters (Doc Adams, Miss Kitty Russell and Chester Proudfoot (Goode on t.v.) and also (later Festus Haggan on t.v.) were seen less and less as the years went by and more guest stars were primarily given the reins and on-screen time. Matt Dillon was out-of-town far too much in the later t.v. episodes, often leaving Dodge City in the highly questionable hands of Festus and Newley, the town's blacksmith. While the t.v. show is a great classic, no question, as proven by the length of the time it was on the air, the radio show was consistently better in keeping Matt Dillon in Dodge City where he always belonged.

Reviewer: tex56 - - April 29, 2007
Subject: One of the best of U.S radio
I have heard no other OTR program that leaves me eager to listen to every episode.